Josh- it really was a long day for you yesterday. I didn’t participate in the Viva Los Dodgers day time activities, but that 4 hour game was so long. Not leaving the stadium until 11:45 when the game started at 7 is crazy. but I am very happy that we came out on top.
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Lowe will get the job done today. Let’s just hope that Manny sprays TJ with his perfume today :)
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Go Dodgers!!!!

Lowe record since Aug 26 losing to the Nats is 4-0 with a 0.68 ERA. The right-hander has allowed 14 hits during his winning stretch while the Dodgers have won each of those contests by at least four runs. Los Angeles (81-74) led 5-0 after three innings of his last outing.

“They made it easy by getting me an early lead and allowed me to settle in,” said Lowe, who is 4-5 with a 3.62 ERA in 12 starts against San Francisco and 1-0 versus the Giants this season.

Matt Cain (8-13, 3.91) tries to avoid a fifth consecutive losing decision when he takes the ball for the Giants. In another hard-luck outing, Cain allowed two runs and seven hits – including a pair of solo homers – while striking out seven in seven innings of a 2-0 loss at Arizona on Tuesday.

“I made two mistakes,” said Cain, who is 0-4 with a 5.55 ERA in his last six starts. “That cost me. Sometimes you can get away with those, but today those were two mistakes that didn’t stay in the ballpark.”

The right-hander looks to finally end his drought against the Dodgers, who he is 0-5 with a 4.73 ERA against in nine starts. He is 0-2 in four outings this season.

This should be an easy win for us and let make Cain 0-6 in his career against us.

Not to mention we’re hitting at .307 against him. I still can’t believe Johnson is 3-0 ERA in 0.82 n 4 starts against the Giants in his career. Maybe we should’ve had started him instead of Maddux. The Raiders defense look good again maybe UCLA should take some notes. I really hate picking the opposite team against the Raiders in my pick em league. I bet if I pick them next week they would loss.

Hey all, not gonna be on the computer for a while, but wanted to say hi, and hope for the Dodgers to close out the Home season with a bang! (all while listening to the Giants announcers whine about it and play umpire). Now if only the Raiders can close out this game on the winning end….

GO DODGERS

sl7180, thanks for the correction on Espinelli, guess I was a bit too faded last night, heh.

This year, the D-backs can’t seem to win when it counts. Twice this year, in May and June and during our 8-game losing streak, they could have buried us. If they had, there would’ve been no Manny and we’d be talking about the 2009 season right now. But they let us hang around and, eventually, it came back to bite them. Now, they’re trying to make up for what they failed to do earlier. As long as we keep winning, there’s nothing they can do. GO DODGERS!!!!!

Good afternoon all!
Rough start today with the Raiders snatching a loss from the jaws of victory…..AGAIN. They’re picking right back up into their old routine of playing good, or decent enough to have a lead going into the 4th quarter, and then the defense doesn’t show up for the final quarter. I imagine coach Lane Kiffin’s head is inching that much closer to the chopping block now. Al Davis is a senile tyrant that no one will want to fill the head coaches roll with him at the helm. Oh well! Not a toatlly devastating day with the Pats loosing at home to the lowly Dolphins!
GO DODGERS!

I’m looking over my dead dog Rover
That I hit with a power mower.
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One leg is missing, the other is gone
The third leg is scattered all over the lawn.
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No need explaining the one leg remaining
Is spinning on the carport floor.
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I’m looking over my dead dog Rover
That I hit with a power mower.
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I’m looking over my minced dog Rover
That I hit with a power mower.
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My dog’s not eating
He no longer barks
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He hit the propeller
And turned into sparks.
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No need explaining there’s no dog remaining
He’s part of the lawn you see.
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I’m looking over my dead dog Rover
That I sent to eternity.

This is not a good sign…. I’m worried. I don’t understand how you go on the road and win 7 of 10, come home and you can’t get things started. Very nerve racking…. especially since it seems like we love to burn out our bullpen lately. I have to admit though, I knew that we’d lose this game after we failed to score with the bases loaded and noone out… That’s never a good sign, especially in a 0-0 extra inning game… Oh well, hopefully we pull it out here at the end. We have got to hold on to our division lead though… I don’t really care how… we just better realize that we don’t have this thing sewn up yet!!

Close, but no cigar enchanted. I did have Dr Pepper come out it once, a looong time ago, and it hurt like hell!
Remember the old Carlin line? Save your best jokes for lunch. Once a guy passed an entire cheese sandwich through his nose at his Catholic School. The nuns thought it was a miracle. He had to be debriefed by a priest afterward.

I really hate Joe Torre. Sammy threw 20+ pitches last night so Joe wants to experiment on how he does in back to back games IN A TIED GAME IN EXTRA INNING!!!! I love Sammy but he’s coming back from an injury that usually requires major surgery. You don’t know how he’s going to pitch back to back days so why he chose to do it in a tied game that is very important is beyond me.

Oh, one more thing, then I’m leaving…. Back when Ethier singled, and Berroa was thrown out and home… How do you not stop him there and have Manny come up with the bases loaded and one out…. Nowhere to put him…. ARGH!!! BYE!

Geeez! How pathetic to do so well on the road, then come home, and s**k. The lead is dwindling. They better get their s**t in one bag, and get with it here. Dbags are that much closer now
Sweep the Rox!

What really worries me when we make the playoffs is that Torre will select Sweeney, Kent and Nomar for the playoff roster. That will be a clear waste of three playoff slots. Add Maddux for another one, and we’ll really be competitive. Neither Saito nor Broxton look like very effective closers at the end of the season.

bluecrewgirl – Like Vin said, they should have had 5 runs in those first few innings. And then on top of everything else, the gnats decided to finally show they can actually field the ball. When I watched them play the dbacks, I don’t think they had one play like they had today.

Fortunately, the Dodgers are in a no lose situation – either they win the division and go to the playoffs, or they lose the division and Ned gets fired.

I’m still counting on the Snakes losing 2 in St. Louis and one at home to the Rox, so theoretically, the Ds only have to win 2 of 6. I very much doubt they can win 5 of 6 though, so they will need some help.

Casey Blake is turning back into Casey Blake. When he first got here he was playing over his head. He needs to not hit clean up or in front of Matt Kemp any more. And we traded Carlos Santana for him. Thanks Ned!

Ethier should had stay at 1st if he was smart plan and simple in case that was going to happen with berroa why do you want to take the bat out of Manny hand.. Ethier should had know better than that but it was Bowa fault for sending Berroa in.

Ethier going to 2nd has absolutely nothing to do with the reason we lost this game. Berroa shouldn’t have been sent home. Any of the following: Blake, Loney and Kemp should have gotten a hit in the first when the bases were loaded.

Ethier had no way of knowing what would happen, he did what most players would have done, try and get in scoring position. Loney ended up crushing the ball on his at bat after Manny walked. Only a top defensive play prevented at least 2 runs from scoring.

Its flipping amazing to me that Sweeney even gets ABs. I surmize that no other manager would give that many ABs away to a .130 hitter. The only thing the guy’s proven is that he can’t hit.

My guess is that in Ned’s twisted world, he was afraid to put him on waivers at any point during the season because he didn’t want anybody in the division picking him up. But any other GM would’ve released him long long ago so that JoJo COULDN’T use him.

You have the right to your opinion, but I still disagree. Manny’s great, but you don’t change your whole game because of him. Players are taught to take the extra base if you can get it and like DNelly said, he would have ended up at 2nd when the walked Manny anyway. It had no effect on the outcome of the inning.

i don’t blame any player ~ Torre and Ned are to blame period. We shouldn’t even be in this positition. We shouldn’t have to be worried about the last 6 games of he season. Go back to day one, and it all goes back to those two. I am really with enchanted on this one. If we win, great, and if we don’t, then hopefully it means Ned’s head.

Ethier wasn’t taking a chance. I am assuming he expected Berroa to be safe , we all did. If Berroa was safe, then Ethier would have been fine. Andre couldn’t have predicted that outcome. He had to play it as if Berroa was going to score a run.

bluecrewgirl – I know James hit the ball hard today, but any other day, the giants would have gladly let those drop in front of them. I have watched it happen all year. They get slammed every morning for their poor defensive plays, especially the outfield for letting balls drop.

I guess it time for Josh not posting the lineup again maybe we keep on winning until the playoff start. This is what worry me the Cardinals couldn’t even beat the Pirates and Reds so I wish I was confident for them to beat them with their bad bullpen with over 30+ blown saves.

Let’s see, Michael is pitching fall ball with the Varsity team. He only pitches one inning a game, but it’s every Monday and Wednesday. However, in fall ball they are only allowed to throw fastballs and change ups, no curves or sliders (those are his best), and they can only pitch a max of two innings.
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As for the “Valley Sports Academy”, everything is moving along. We have a building downtown, and it looks like they are looking at opening in the middle of October, hopefully. They are re-doing restrooms to fit new codes, etc. They are going to have batting cages, pitching mounds and a fielding area. They already have a lot of people interested. There is nothing like this in our area at all. The closest facility is at 45 minutes away.

Any player’s going to take the extra base when its presented to him. You’re taught from little league on that on a throw home, you advance to the next base. Manny walked three times, but he also struckout twice. There’s no guarantee Manny does anything HAD ‘Dre stayed on first. In fact, I’m sure they pitch carefully to Manny and probably walk him anyway.

The game plain and simple was lost in the first. They batted that inning like they did in mid-season, and got nothing out of bases loaded and no one out.

I’ve had some time to let this loss sink in and read what you all had to say about it. I blame one person, Joe Torre. How in the hell can you let a pitcher/pinch runner steal a base without a damn throw. He was so busy moving the players around in the outfield, he forgot one important thing…..do not let the runner get in scoring position!! I’n with Miss Debbie, if we win this divison it will be in spite of his managerial ineptness.

If they would go on to lose the division this last week, JoJo should get fired right along with Ned. They brought JoJo in to win these late September and October games and if they collapse, then Joe should take the fall. They have the players, but if Joe can’t use them properly, then he needs to answer for it. For a HOF manager, I haven’t seen much that a highschool coach couldn’t do as well or better.

Thanks jhall!! It sure is good to see that you have power back. Was it just your neigborhood? For my Ballpark a week geography unit, I was reading about the state of Ohio because after the two Chicago teams, Cleveland and Cincinnati are next. I didn’t realize Columbus, in population, was so big – 15th in the country.

the dbacks face only one “crappy” pitcher from here on out in joel pineiro (ERA over 5) while we face 3. otherwise they are facing wellemyer (3.66 ERA), lohse (3.76), wainwright (3.21), ubaldo jimenez (4.12), aaron cook (3.96), and francis (5.01, but he’s pitched much better since coming off the DL). the dodgers face peavy (2.77), leblanc (5.63), estes (4.72), lincecum (2.46), cain (3.80), and hennessy (8.65). DBACKS OPPONENT ERA: 4.12/DODGERS OPPONENT ERA: 4.67. as poorly as we played against the vagiants this series, i still like our chances for the post season. if we do clinch, we’ll most likely have our champagne celebration in san francisco. :D

yarrum ~ you made some good points bout pitching matchups. However, we should have beaten the pitchers the Giants put out there. I still think we are going to win….it is my opinion, however, that we should have already clinched. I know Maddux had an awful night, but we only managed to score one run in that game, a homer by Pablo, no less. Joe either left the pitcher in too long, or took a good one out too soon. Sometimes you just have to say, “What the F&*% is he doing”!

Andre is his own player. He has to think of what he is supposed to be doing, not what he thinks Manny will do or how the pitcher will pitch to Manny. That’s what has made Andre so successful all year long. He has always had a thoughtful approach to his at-bats. I think some people are forgetting that Andre has played very well all year long. Yes, he certainly has performed better with Manny, but the difference is excellent vs. spectacular. It’s not like he had a downside before Manny came, other than JP playing in his spot. Also, I’m sure the fact that he plays every day now, and that Manny has made him relax more and not take everything so seriously is more of a help than anything.

Sorry TruMom – been spending too much time on the PC and have been getting those eye-strain headaches.

Andre’s got nothing to even question about. He made the ballplayer’s play. Let’s say he stays on first and they pitch to Manny who singles. Then everyone would be bitching that he didn’t take second on the throw and score on Manny’s hit. Sheesh…

i agree, tru. we should already be thinking about post season match ups instead of the last 7 days of the season. torre has definitely made some rather…….interesting (dim-witted, naive, moronic, counter-logical) moves throughout the season. especially with the sweeney situation. continuing to give at-bats to a guy who is hitting .135 is absolutely mind-boggling. i’m sure most of us feel that the dodgers are on the verge of making the playoffs IN SPITE of joe torre, not BECAUSE of him.

jhall – that would be Grady!! That is great!! I still like watching them play. I watched most of the game last night until our game started. Also, Detroit’s rookie catcher, Dusty Ryan, is from a town about 5 minutes away from here.

yarrum ~ to me Sweeney useless, too. I don’t see how, where every player is vital to winning, he can be on the playoff roster. It will be interesting to see how Joe messes up the team with his selections.

TruBlue. We had a Caddy when I was in high school that was that big. I’m short and you couldn’t see my head above the headrest. I loved that car though. It was fun to drive. We weren’t rich, it was a used one, but we enjoyed it.

bluecrewgirl – I was so caught up in the Dodger game, I didn’t even realize on of my football teams, the Redskins, won today. The last thing I knew they were tied. I hope San Diego does well tomorrow. They have been playing pretty well, but it’s just not showing in the standings. How is LT’s toe? Is he playing tomorrow?

Trublue, Sweeney is defiantly the most useless player in the majors. All he is good for is taking the helmets off of the players that score. He can be the Helmet Guy during the playoffs. I don’t have a problem with Sweeney until he steps in the batters box, then I still don’t have a problem with him. I have a BIG problem with Joe Torre when Sweenier steps in the box.

bluecrewgirl ~ i know what you mean about not being able to see……deb, her brother and sister had lots of room and it was really kind of fun to drive. We traded one of our cars for that one.
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Max ~ if they activated Kent and Nomar for pinch hitting duties, why the hell do we need Sweeney. They can let JP remove batting helmets………that would get him up and out of his corner.

Well trublue, Kent can’t walk without a limp and Nomar might shatter into a million pieces if he swings that bat again. Let’s face it, Sweeney is only on the team because he’s Ned Colletti’s Teddy Bear.

And Nomar and Kent really aren’t that good. Nomar has sucked all year and before Manny arrive and The Wizard went on that hot streak he was on pace for a historical bad year for a cleanup hitter. We just don’t have a good bench.

Max ~ i agree with you about the condition of those two. So why even activate them? Even Kuroda can hit better than Sweeney. I even think the bat boy could do a better job. If they want to keep him around, okay. But, don’t let him pick up a bat!

I know somebody on this board was thinking the same thing the other day when Kent was activated. It does make you want to say hmmmm….. it’s definitely a possibility. This was a comment from AK and BK’s LA Times Blog on today’s game.
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So when exactly is Ned/Frank/Torre going to make the connection that MAYBE, just maybe Jeff Kent has something to do with the lackluster play.
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Even the win(s) have been squishy since he has shown back up.
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Chemistry is what allows teams to win at this time of the year… right now it looks like the team is unwashed and carrying a tuba.
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Posted by: Benzo Jones | September 21, 2008 at 08:17 PM

bluecrewgirl – no kidding!! I have their defense for both of my fantasy teams, and I am getting very little points from them. Fortunately, I have Rivers and Chambers on one team so they kind of make up for it.

I hate to say this but I want Kent back in the lineup and Deiwtt move back to 3rd. I really think Blake need to be bench for a couple of games. Blake numbers in September been falling off. If I’m not mistaken I think Casey only has 1 hit in his last 5 games and at least Kent was on firing when he got hurt but can he field again?

Definitely don’t want to move Dewiitt from 2nd. The offense is in a little slump, but the improved infield defense has been huge in the stretch run. I think the offense will rebound against SD and that we will finish strong in San Francisco.

Ok Blue I really hope she made it at home ok. Well looking at game 1 and 3 we need more offense than defense and lately Blake been an automatic out. Blake has been good on defense but Blake is only playing well because of the contract.

Ward Dear – I don’t even know what you sound like, but that Ah, ah Ah!!! is ringing loud and clear. I know, I know, but I couldn’t help it….. lack of self control today for sure. I have turned a nice shade of red if that makes you feel any better… :)

Last night I watched a taped interview of Steiner with Kent. He really came off as a great guy. Honest. Hard working. A pro. I liked him. I’ve never seen him interviewed before like that.

As far as I’m concerned, he’s a pinch-hitter only from now on. I’m not totally stupid. I can see the writing on the wall. If Kent and Garciaparra and Sweeney and Maddux are not taking up 4 of the precious 25 roster positions, I will be the most surpised person on the planet. I can only hope that the first three are limited to pinch-hitting duties only. Sweeney is a given, but after watching Kent and Nomar with the glove, I hope I’ve seen the last of them using one. And yes, for the Nomardefenders, I saw that game-saver that Nomar did last week. Did you see him kicking the ball all over the infield the game before Berroa became the regular shortstop? Emergency use only, please.

And speaking of the playoffs, I hope Torre is happy with his fast-and-loose use of the lineups when our lead was a semi-comfortable 4 1/2 games. Nothing like benching hot hitters so they’ll cool off, just to get a PVL some at-bats.

Good Evening. I just got in, it’s been an extremely busy day. I am sorry that I haven’t brought good luck to our team today. It really didn’t go the way we planned. It’s like deja vu, last Sunday we lost 0-1 in the 10th inning and this Sunday we lose 0-1 in the 11th. Not a good trend to follow, especially since we needed to win today!
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Here is the Positive: Our boys get to rest tomorrow. Sleep in their own beds with a day off. Then it’s off to the Padres. Yes, it’s Peavy- but we proved we can beat Haren and Webb- so we can out pitch them!!!!
Second- The Dbacks had to travel back east and play 4 straight with the Cards. That will be hard for them. It’s not over. We are still strong and will overcome this loss :)
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With that being said. I hope all is well with my ITD friends! :)

Can someone explain on how Henessey stole 2nd bases since I was following the yahoo box score/espn game thread? I really thought Bochy had made a bad move PR for Sandoval after having Rolinger take over 3rd bases last innings..

Amy – all is well here at ITD. A frustrating game to say the least, but it always is when we play the Giants, win or lose. Like you said, take a few from the Padres, and hopefully the Cards take a few from the dbacks and all will be good.

Missed the game today from the fifth inning on…glad of that. With Peavy, Cain, and Lincecum on the horizon, the Dodgers had better hope St. Louis comes up big. There’s no pressure on the D-Backs…yet. It’s all on the Dodgers, and other than Manny, who’s hitting? For that matter, other than Lowe, who’s pitching??? This is the same flawed club we’ve seen all year. Would I be surprised if they fall short? Not one little bit.

Denl- I am glad that things are well tonight. I see your favorite friend is here to keep you company in the skies tonight :)
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It really was frustrating, and for it to happen for us twice in one week. blah! To me, Saito actually looked good out there for a long while, but he seemed to get in over his head and then it way too late.
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Shad- unfortunetly I cannot answer that question. I feel terrible, I have no idea about the stolen bases. I think we were losing track of who was on base by that point.
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Eric- That interview with Steiner and Kent really really explains a lot doesn’t it? He’s a nice man who has is own opinions and like to win. My mom actually become a Kent fan after watching that interview.
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As far as pinch hitters, I was talking about that with the Man who sat beside me tonight. When they brought out Sweeny to hit I could have named so many players in the dugout that could have gotten the job done. Repko? Nomar? I can see why not Repko, because they would want to keep Manny in if we weren’t ahead. But I think that there are a lot better choices and ways to get players out there in the right moment.

Dnel- One last story from me…
The man I was with at the game had his 4 year old son with him. He explained the whole game, every strike, hit, ball, the foul line. They were at the game when Andre hit the Walk off HR, and he asked the boy who hit the walk off HR and in his little boy voice he looked at me and said “Andre E-th-ier.” Soo adorable…haha..that’s not the real story. The real story is..
… When Delwyn came up to Pinch Hit I yelled “Come on DY” the little boy asked hi dad why I said ‘DY’. The man gave him a lesson on initials and what they stand for. He said, ‘D’ is for Delwyn and what is that ‘Y’ stand for?” It was adorable. Isn’t it nice to see good parents in this world?
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It was a moment you would have loved :)

Kahli – if it comes down the last game in SF when Lincecum pitches, then we won’t deserve to win the division. We have to have this thing locked before then. jungar said it best a while back, if we lose this thing by one game, it can be traced back to the how many dozens of times Torre has screwed up the lineup to play his favorite PVLs. We should have ran away with this division if he would have stuck with the lineups that were the best in the first place.

You should had said Stults hahahahaha. They should had called up Tiffee over Ellis. Do we really need a 3rd catchers? I know any managers would like to save there 2nd catchers last but with 3 I don’t think we need to save anyone. Was Ellis killing the ball in triple A? Why not give him a chance over Sweeney?

Hi and goodbye Amy. Glad you had fun. I think they will rebound against the Pads. They’d better since I’ll be at the game on Tuesday. Eric, I’ve seen that interview with Kent and he does come off a lot more approachable in it. Goodnight all. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a Cardinals’s victory. Gaining a 1/2 game back and reducing the magic number without having to do a thing would be a nice pick me up for them.

Between what I think is some bad ownership, some terrible GM’ing and decent managing I am ecstatic that with 6 games to go we are ahead by 2 1/2 in the NL West. I wasn’t around but watched the game and I don’t know how u feel but I wasn’t pleased he used Saito. It’s obvious he can’t throw his slider that well. Torre has made alot of bonehead moves but he has had to deal with a difficult roster ( replacing closer, ss, cf, sp and 2b) so he gets a decent grade from me. Getting Manny and Blake (and Maddux I suppose) are eclipsed by how much we gave up for what might be two months of baseball. Short term it might be the right move but all these Coletti prospect giveaways can’t really be judged for 3-4 more years still. Even Navvaro and Jackson cant be judged yet and that one is really not in our favor. . Who is to say those two along with Aybar they wont be apart of 2-3 playoff teams for the Rays. Maybe more. Lance Carter would be proud wherever the hell he is.

Now the west Wild Card divison. I really think the Cardinals will give the DBack alot of trouble in that series. The Cardinals have no chance in the WC and I’m really praying the Mets won’t make it again after kast year choke.

For closure, I had a good laugh at the dodgerblues.com article, and putting this series behind me… Here’s a slightly edited version of the description of today’s game…
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Dodgers Stand Around, Giants Win

If you had taken me out to Palmdale, put me in an ’86 Toyota Corolla with the windows rolled up, and let me bake in the sun for four hours in the Walmart parking lot, I’m pretty sure it would have been more enjoyable than the four hours I spent watching the Dodger game on Sunday.

I probably should have known it was going to be a waste of a day after the Dodgers loaded the bases in the first inning with nobody out and failed to score, but like the moron I am, I watched all eleven innings… and it just kept getting worse.

For starters, the Giants must have had magnets in their gloves. A leaping catch by Ivan Ochoa, a diving catch by Nate Schierholtz, a diving stab by Travis Ishikawa, a diving catch by Randy Winn, another diving catch by Schierholtz. Mixed in the middle, of course, was an outfield assist from Aaron Rowand, who nailed Angel Berroa at the plate in the fifth inning.

That play was probably the killer for the Dodgers, and it really shouldn’t have even happened. The Dodgers had guys on first and second with one out, Andre Ethier at the plate, and Manny Ramirez on deck. Ethier scorched one up the middle, and even though Rowand was coming up throwing before Berroa was even rounding third, Larry Bowa sent him in. Rowand made a great throw, and Bengie Molina made a quick tag, but even if it hadn’t taken perfection from the Giants on that play, why send Berroa? You hold him at third, and you’ve got one out, the bases loaded, and Ramirez up. Instead, you’ve got two outs and an empty base to put Ramirez. Moronic.

While the last sixteen Dodgers were busy quickly making outs, the Baseball Gods were having a blast plotting the Giants’ victory. Let’s see… a base hit, a double-play the Dodgers can’t quite turn, a pitcher pinch-running, a pitcher stealing the first base of his career [. . .], an infield single, and then a base hit by the only guy on the Giants around long enough to appreciate the rivalry.

Ward Dear… It’s getting late – it’s past our 1 am mark. Time for bed dear… Have a wonderful sleep, and I will talk to you in the morning when I get to work. I will need to talk to some Dodger fans. The first person I see at 7 am is our custodian who will have a nice big smile on his face in the morning – he’s a gnat fan. Good night and God Bless dear…. :)

Good morning ITD….interesting weekend. I hope everyone had a good weekend.
I can not believed we lost yesterday. Loney was robbed from that catch on first base…the Giant guy was out. But so much for that instant replay….gets me mad.
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DODGERS JUST HANG IN THERE….no room to loose.
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Oh yeah I’ve never seen Ethier so mad as the other day. The camera just captured him when he said the F’ word. I was just hoping that none of Debbie’s students were watching that night.
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Amy how was the game….it was packed on Saturday….and man I am glad we won that game….Viva los Dodgers!
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‘Mornin’, dodgersrule! As my momma used to say, sometimes you get the chicken, sometimes you get feathers.

Personally, I love to see them get mad like that. Bill Buckner became one of my favorites just for that reason alone. I understand that they all care, whether or not they show it. I guess I gravitate to the emotional ones because that’s the way I am.

Good Morning ITD writers and readers!!
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I don’t have much to say that I haven’t already said or that hasn’t been said by others.
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dodgersrule – As far as Andre, unfortunately many of them hear that word all the time, so they probably wouldn’t have reacted to it if they saw it. Eric and I were talking about that last night. It’s a good thing he is still getting mad at himself on occasion. It means he wants this thing, as I am sure they all do. I am sure Manny calmed him down once he got into the dugout.
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Good Morning Ward Dear!!
I hope you have a great day at work – not too much intrusion by the sheriff.
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Have a wonderful day, and I will check in when the opportunity arises.
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dnelly, June Darlin’, Junie, Miss Debbie, mom, Mrs. Nelson, Nelle, Nells, Nelly, Nelly girl ~ ETHIERaholics and Dodger Fans Forever :)

Good morning Eric & Dodgersrule ~ what an awful weekend. I’m still trying to recover. Watched yesterday’s game at Miss Debbie house and we got the full treatment from her son……..every great play the Giants made (where were those plays against the Dbacks?) I think this day off will help us re-group and we will be ready for the Padres. I know the players will…….just hope Joe doesn’t use too many bonehead plays and useless pinch hitters. I do beleieve we will make it to the playoffs……….just wish our boys in blue made it a little easier for us fans.

Driving home last night listening to Dodger Talk–and not knowing who won the game yet–it sounded as if the Dodgers had won…you now, all talk about who would be on the playoff roster, etc. Then I hear the Dodgers lose. After a good night’s sleep. I came to a realization: There’s nothing any of us can do to will the Dodgers to victory. I’ve decided to kick back and let the players decide. And after today that nasty little chad of a half game will disappear. I’m assuming a D-backs victory, which will mean a 2-game lead with six to play. If the Dodgers can’t close the deal, then they certainly wouldn’t fair very well in the playoffs anyway. Sure it’s maddening that the Gnats went belly up and got swept four in a row in Arizona…but that’s the nature of the beast. Torre is supposed to be the magician…the calming influence. OK, Joe, you’re on.

good morning all.
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rose- I am glad we won on Saturday. It’s always a good feeling getting to sing “I Love LA” before you drive home. The games were crowded, but with the lack of action, people didn’t stick around all game. What got me was on Saturday they did a montage of Hispanic Dodgers present and past. They put their names up on the screen and everyone cheered. When they got to Manny he was standing with Andre and they highlighted Manny as a Hispanic Dodger, but not Andre. They left him out. I was a little disappointed in that one. His heritage deserved to he recognized on Hispanic Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium. .
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Morning Tru- at least the Dodgers rest today and Arizona had to fly back east for 4 games!

Hi Amy ~ Andre is very proud of his hispanic heritage. I would have been disappointed too. I think this day off will rejuvinate the guys and I know we will win. Just hope we don’t wait until the last game of the season………don’t think me nerves could take it! lol

AMY…well Andre should of been mentioned, poor Andre he always gets overlooked. No wonder he pas psst. Andre has mentioned himself that he is Mexican and proud of his heritage. I wonder they didn’t include him, since he was born in the U.S.A.??? Who knows but lets ask JOSH! It sucks when people leave early from a game. It sad cause Dodgers are known for that. My cousin had gone to Chicago to see a Dodgers game and Cubs fans asked him if he was leaving early….Come on DODGERS FAN STICK AROUND TIL THE END….
TRU…oh man having to hear it from Debbie’s son…LOL….don’t worry we are still better than the Giants.
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Dodgers should get some rest tonight..good luck boys in blue!
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JOSH – ANDRE IS PROUD OF HIS MEXICAN HERITAGE…WHY WASN’T HE MENTIONED DURING THE HISPANIC DODGERS MONTAGE ON SATURDAY’S GAME?????

Good morning, TruLumpy! I’m having trouble being confident that we’ll put something together here to close out the season. Nothing we’ve done all year has shown we will. We seem to match every good streak with one just as bad. Right after a great offensive game, we get shut out. Weird team this year. Looking at the last 8 games, we’ve gone W-L-W-L-W-L-W-L. And what’s weirder, look at the runs that we’ve scored in the last 21 games: 6, 8, 7, 7, 5, 0, 6, 7, 7, 5, 0, 8, 6, 8, 4, 1, 10, 0. Not a 2, a 3 in the bunch. And only one 1 and one 4. Either a shutout or 5 and up. Weird. But I think it’s all what you come to expect when you sign on to be a Dodger fan. North said so earlier and I agree. It’s never EVER done the easy way.

Good morning kahli, and I agree. In my heart I know it’s not true, but it sure seems like the Giants lay down for everyone else.

And good morning Amy! Maybe someone should tell management of Andre’s heritage. That seems rather strange, doesn’t it?

Good morning Eric. It was strange. From the current team they showed, Manny, Nomar, Furcal and even though Andre was in the Picture with Manny I kept waiting and waiting for them to Put his name up there and it never happened :(
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Today’s rest will be good. Those losses this weekend were embarrassing…but 3 against the Pad’s= please. We can do it, Peavy or not!!!
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GO BLue!!

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone is doing well, and hope our boys can take care of things against the Pads! I found out yesterday that my wife is going to the game this Thursday with the girls, which makes me jealous for many reasons: last game of the regular season at home, photo calendar, and possibly seeing the Dodgers clinch a playoff spot! Arrrggghhhh! :)

eric- going back to our last post- and our .500 style of baseball. It is strange. Right now we need to string wins together and maybe get consistency with our runs. i hadn’t realized the up and down of he amount of runs scored in the last 8 games. At least it’s not like it was in mid-summer where we wouldn’t score any runs, or only 3 runs out of a whole series. We’ve come a long way in actually touching home plate which is an accomplishment, except for the fact that we should’ve won more of those games.

PERU…Be happy for your wife…a member of your family will go and represent….lOL!…girls rule…LOL!
TRUE…..HAAAHAAHAAA
AMI…yes Dodgers should have won more games and yesterday’s was one of them. And yes they have improved a whole lot from last year. Dodgers today have a bigger chance of winning and they have what it takes and hopefully we do.

perumike- I will be ther thursady to keep your wife company :)
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tru- Sweeny let’s hope and maybe Jones.
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Kpookie- great outlook. I still believe that it will be ok for us. We’ve been playing smarter and our attitude has changed for the better. We can only hope.
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It’s not fun having it come down to the wire. It’s a nervous feeling. oh man.
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Go Dodgers!

I have a second to respond about Andre and his heritage. Amy, I find that very strange they didn’t recognize him. I have read many times how he has agreed to represent Mexico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. So, shouldn’t that qualify him as having an Hispanic heritage, and therefore all the things that come with that, including the recognition?

Hi! I’ve had the night to contemplate what all this means, and I’ve come to realize that it didn’t really shock me at all. With the Giants in September, we have to expect the unexpected. They try extra hard against us when we have a chance, ’cause if they knock us out, it’s as good as winning the world series to them (they have no point of comparison, heheheheh).

For all us NorCal’ers, these 3 words solve everything: Nineteen Fifty Four.

tru- I know, I want to try the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks, but I’m scared that I would buy it and not like it and I would feel bad throwing it away.
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My birthday is Christmas and my mom always makes me a birthday Pumpkin pie. I look forward to it all year :)
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Rose- the cooler weather means I get to sleep with the window open and no a/c or fans. that is the best!

No more large A/C bill…LOL! Pumkin pie with a cup of eggnog or latte….mmmmmmm. Watching the games with your Dodgers poncho on…LOL…LOVE IT!
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I just got all sentimental reading about the Yankees Stadium…man I don’t like the Yankees, but just hearing about the farewells of a big huge piece of baseball history had brought tears to my eyes….it sucks….

only a few good things about the Fall. I love summer, I love the sun, shorts, halters, sandals, ponytails and the beach. I love the sun staying out until 8:30- wonderful stuff. I am such a Southern California girl all the way! I will have to remind myself of the good things while I’m cold. Dodgers going deep into the playoffs would make my fall even better :)

The great thing about summer for me is longer days…I am in Riverside so yup extremely hot. Fall & Spring time are great. I do enjoy the once in a great moon “Snowfall” in the winter time. LOL And yes I am also a SoCal Girl all the way. Oh yeah I’m sure if the Dodgers make the playoffs it will make all of our ‘Fall’ and will last till Christmas time. Haahaaa

1954, 1954, 1954, 1954, 1954, 1954, 1954, 1954, 1954, 1954 – thanks nsblues (and eric). I actually used it this morning since my custodian was cleaning my room when I get here in the morning. I even said, my “Inside the Dodgers” friends told me to remind you that you haven’t won anything since 1954, so don’t be so happy. Seriously, he was just as shocked that they played that well. He is one of a few gnats fans that actually knows his team sucks.
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Have a great afternoon, and I will check in again during recess.

Amy,
Ask for a sample of the pumpkin spice latte.
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I always wait until the last out to leave the stadium. Saturday I can understand some fans with small children leaving early as the festival started at 1:p.m. so that is a long time to be at the stadium with little kids, especially since the game lasted 4 hours. I was at the festival at 1:p.m. but still stayed until the last out which was passed midnight. Saw Josh at the festival running around but I did disturb as he looked pretty busy. I kept waiting for the tribute to Jaime Jarrin but that did not happen until 5 p.m. I wish I would have known. I could have gone to my car for a while. The Dodgers had two books where fans could sign congratulating Jaime on his 50 years.

Crazy- great idea. I will see what I can do about that and I will report back with how I like the taste!!! I didn’t participate in the Viva Los Dodgers event. I hope you enjoyed it. We weren’t able to make it until game time. Emma, we will have to meet up one of these next 3 games. I will let you know where I am sitting vis e-mail. Speaking of which, you haven’t sent those pictures yet. haha, get on it girl :)
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Dnel- good to know that the Giants fans know that their team sucks!! At least they are in touch with reality. I think it’s the opposite for us. We know our potential and we get frustrated when it’s not lived up to.
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Go Dodgers. Go blue. Let’s Win the Pennant!!!!

I’ve probably seen 300 games in Dodger Stadium. I’ve only left three early.

Second-to-the-last game of the ’71 season. We were a game behind the Giants, who were losing in San Diego. If we beat the Astros, we’re tied with a game to play. We fell behind early and big, I think we lost that game 10 – 0, 11 – 0, 12 – 0, something like that. I was so disgusted, I left after the seventh.

Three years later in ’74, we had a doubleheader in May against the Astros. I had hitched a ride to the games with this hot chick who came into my gas station and teased me that she was going to the game with her brother and his friends. I used to wear one of those giveaway Dodger batting helmets (with the liner removed ’cause my hair was so long). I asked her if she’d take me with her. She said, “sure, but I don’t have a ticket for you.” I told her I didn’t care, I’ll get my own. She had seats behind home plate. I bought a seat in the right field bleachers. In the seventh inning of the second game, I saw her brother walking up the stands straight for me. “We’re leaving” he said. Since I didn’t want to walk 25 miles back to my house, I left. I was pretty mad, but I left. We’ve been married 25 years now.

Sometime in the 80’s, I rolled the dice to catch a Sunday game. I was on-call and supposed to stay within 30 minutes, which Dodger Stadium was not. In the third or fourth, my pager went off. I had to scramble out of there. Imagine my humor when it turned out to be nothing. Hershiser took a no-hitter into the seventh before losing it. I was almost hoping he wouldn’t get it. Almost. :-)

The only game I ever left “early” was a game my dad and I went to back in the 90’s, when it was baseball night and the fans got ticked at a couple of calls from the umps, and baseballs came raining onto the field from all levels of the stadium. During the second delay due to raining baseballs, Tommy got on the PA system to plead with the fans. Anyway, the umpires called the game early and we had to go home. I still have my baseball and ticket stub somewhere.

Anybody have an idea what’s been wrong with Russell Martin this year?…He seems to have a long swing now…not dependable and at the same time Casey Blake has been awful too….Are we worried about winning this division?…I do know we have to face Lincecum and Peavy in the next 6 games….it could get dicey!!!!….
Can’t believe we couldn’t win a 1-0 game at home….but I knew that when we couldn’t score with the bases loaded and no one out in the first inning, it didn’t look good….Everytime this has happened in the past, the same thing happens…….. A LOSS…!!!

OH…and another thing….I think from the 3rd game in Pittsburgh, the Dodgers haven’t played well….even though we won 3 there….we could have split very easily….and the game we beat the Giants, it really was the walks that killed the Gnats…..so this team better get better soon, or they will be making vacation plans instead of playoff plans…

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